Tampa Bay Rays (72-75) vs. Chicago Cubs (84-63)
September 13, 2025 2:20 pm EDT
The Line: Chicago Cubs -119 / Tampa Bay Rays -102; Over/Under:
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The Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays meet on Saturday in MLB action from Wrigley Field. Here’s a Cubs vs Rays prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Cubs vs Rays pick.
Rays Can’t Keep Blowing Leads
The Rays can’t keep blowing leads, and they did it again on Friday night. The Cubs scored three runs in the first inning and they looked to be in good shape. By the end of the second inning though, the Cubs had tied it up, and they ended up losing 6-4. Christopher Morel hit a home run in the first inning and drove in three RBIs, and the rest of the game the offense couldn’t get anything going. Shane Baz got the start and he wasn’t good enough, going 2.1 innings, giving up six hits and five runs. He finished with five strikeouts but also had three walks.
The Rays are averaging 4.48 runs while their pitching is giving up 4.15 runs per game. The offense is ranked 14th while the pitching is ranked 10th. Getting the start for the Rays will be Drew Rasmussen who sits with a 10-5 record and an ERA of 2.56. He has been good, and in ls last start he went five innings giving up three hits and zero runs.
Can Cubs Build on Friday
Outside of the first inning, the Cubs sure looked good, and they are going to look to build on that here. The Cubs scored six runs between the second, third, and fourth inning, and that ended up being the difference in the victory. Ian Happ had a strong game, hitting a home run and driving in two RBIs. Matthew Boyd went five innings giving up five hits and four runs. If you take away the three-run homer in the first inning, he looked pretty good.
The Cubs are averaging 4.89 runs while their pitching is giving up 4.06 runs per game. The offense is ranked 8th while the pitching is ranked 6th. In this game, they need the pitching to be better early, and try to not let the Rays jump out to a fast start. Colin Rea is going to get the start for the Cubs and he sits with a 10-6 record and an ERA of 4.20. Against the Washington Nationals he went 5.1 innings giving up three hits, and one run.
Chicago Cubs vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction
The Rays looked like they were going to win on Friday, at least in the first inning, but it quickly went downhill. The Rays are all out of the playoff race now, and they can’t have any confidence right now. Rea in his last start against the Nationals was impressive giving up only one run and he’s going to have another huge start again here. The Rays are going to struggle to even reach three runs, and that will be enough for Chicago to get the job done. Back the Cubs on the money line to cash.
